The Telltale Blush
by BlackVelvetBand
Summary: Hanataro has a slight problem with his zanpakuto, but that doesn't even compare to the fact that he can't stop himself from blushing whenever a certain girl's name is mentioned. What will happen when the two problems collide? HanataroIsane as requested.


A/N: Whew! This one was a challenge, mainly because I don't know that much about Isane as we don't see her too often but I am fairly proud of what I managed to scrape together with some help. In other news, I start school again tomorrow, and with colleges to visit and applications to fill out, the updating might slow down substantially, but I will continue updating. Also, don't forget to check **out the Shunsui and Nanao Challenge **I'm hosting, there's still plenty of time to enter. **For details see the bottom Author's Note**.

* * *

**The Telltale Blush  
****A Hanataro and Isane One-shot  
****By BlackVelvetBand**

_**This story is dedicated to Kokaku Kidotai Meitantei who requested it, and for Conterra and niko5290 who kindly gave their help.**_

Yamada Hanatarō whistled slightly to himself as he shuffled his way back to the Fourth Division offices, his hands wrapped tightly around a length of cloth he was carrying gingerly in front of him.

"Hanatarō?" The voice surprised the seventh seat so much that he tripped, the bundle slipping from his fingers.

Small fingers darted out with astonishing speed to catch the fallen object, but Hanatarō yelled in warning, knocking the helping hand out of the way. The cloth, and the object which had been wrapped in it, fell to the dusty street with a clatter.

"Are you alright?" Kuchiki Rukia asked, bending down.

The fabric had fallen open to reveal a rather savage-looking steel blade upon which the early morning sunlight was glinting menacingly. Rukia reached out her hand once more but Hanatarō scurried closer.

"Don't touch it!" he cried in a panicked voice. He tucked the cloth carefully around the weapon once more.

"I'm sorry, Rukia-san," he stammered, bowing in apology. "I didn't want you to touch the blade."

"Touch the blade?" Rukia demanded nonplused. "Is that your zanpakutō?"

Hanataro nodded fervently, his smile strained. "Yes, this is my Hisagomaru."

Rukia arched an eyebrow. They blade looked far too deadly for the likes of sweet, helpful Hanatarō to be carrying around. She wondered if that was the reason he had it wrapped so carefully.

"You shouldn't be so afraid of your blade, Hanatarō," she scolded. "If you'd like, I'll train with you in my spare time."

Hanatarō smiled and gave another small bow. "Thank you, Rukia-san, but I'm not afraid of my blade. I'm just being careful because the gauge is almost full. I was just going to talk to Unohana Taichō about it."

"The _what_?" Rukia asked curiously as they began walking again.

"The gauge," Hanataro explained parting the fabric with air of someone cradling a kidō bomb. He pointed to what appeared to be a sort of glass tube embedded in the blade. It appeared to be full of a red liquid, suspiciously like blood. "My zanpakutō heals all of the wounds it touches instantly by absorbing them. When the gauge reaches the top though, it initiates shikai and will inflict all of the wounds it has absorbed in a single attack."

"Why do you have it?" Rukia asked, her large violet eyes regarding the healer with new respect.

"I figured the Fourth Division will probably become very busy soon," he said, referring to the looming threat of war with the Arrancar and Aizen Souske. "Hisagomaru is very useful for treating wounds which otherwise might be fatal, but it won't do much good if it ends up attacking its next patient instead." He laughed nervously at the horrifying thought.

"What do you usually do when it gets like this?" Rukia asked, quickening her step as they passed by the Eleventh Division. Even outside on the street she could hear Kenpachi whining about how bored he was. She had no wish to test Sode no Shirayuki against him today. Mirroring her thoughts, Hanatarō also sped up his stride, so that the two rather diminutive shinigami quickly emerged into the safety of the Tenth Division.

Hanatarō shook his head. "It's rare for the gauge to get this full. I rarely use it; I had even lost it for a while." Rukia stared at him, wondering how his zanpakutō had forgiven him for such disrespect. "Anyway, I usually get sent out when a group from the Academy goes on field training. I use it on a hollow, empty the gauge and return to the Fourth."

They were silent for a while, walking companionably side-by-side through the different divisions, chuckling slightly as the Eighth Division Taichō swept by in his pink haori, clutching his hand and complaining about how cruel his Nanao-chan was to hit her poor Shunsui with such a heavy tome.

"Hanatarō," Rukia said suddenly, a thought just occurring to her, "what were you doing all the way on the outskirts of the Seireitei?"

"I was helping Isane Fukutaichō train the newer squad members in more advanced healing kidō. She's very skilled at it," he remarked, a gentle pink blush blossoming over his cheek.

"Couldn't you do that _in_ your division?" Rukia asked, wondering why such simple-sounding training needed to take place in such a secluded area.

"Well some of our members need a little help…er…reigning in their kidō," Hanatarō said with a nervous laugh. "They just need some practice. Isane Fukutaichō is very patient with them."

Rukia raised an eyebrow at the healer's now flaming cheeks and rather wistful expression at the mention of his Fukutaichō.

_Is it possible_, Rukia thought to herself, her eyes widening, _that Hanatarō is in love with his superior officer? Or had something happened between the two, such as an argument, of which he was ashamed? _

"Hanatarō," Rukia asked carefully, subtlety dripping from every syllable, "why do you blush every time you mention your Fukutaichō's name?"

"I do, really?" Hanatarō squeaked before shaking his head fervently. "I think you must be mistaken Rukia-san, I don't blush every time I say Isane Fukutaichō's name!"

"Yes you do!" Rukia pointed out accusatorially in the same tone she often used with a certain orange-haired shinigami substitute. "See, there you go again!"

Hanatarō laughed loudly, placing a sweating palm to his brow. "Wow, you really are observant Rukia-san! I guess I am a little flushed; it is pretty warm out, though. I might take something when I get back to the Fourth. Maybe I'm getting a fever."

"_Maybe_," Rukia said, a sly smile crossing her face. "Or maybe you're just in l―"

"**Rukia!" **

Hanatarō let out a sigh of relief as they entered the Sixth Division compound, blessing its spiky-haired and tattooed vice-captain for his wonderful timing.

"Well, I'm sure you and Abarai-san have lots to talk about," Hanatarō said with a large smile. "I'll just be off. It was nice to talk with you Rukia-san."

And with that he bustled off to speak with Unohana Taichō and get his thoughts away from a certain silver-haired Fukutaichō.

- - -

"Well I can certainly see why you are concerned, Yamada-san," Unohana said thoughtfully as she examined the zanpakutō which was resting on her desk. "However, since the Academy students are no longer running field training since the events of a few months back, we cannot deal with this problem in the usual manner."

Hanatarō's face fell as he contemplated what this might mean when the emergency ward was suddenly bombarded with wounded shinigami and his fastest method of healing was indisposed.

"Don't look so disheartened, Yamada-san," Unohana reassured her seventh seat kindly. "I will think over our dilemma and let you know when I have come to a solution."

Gazing at his plaited-Taichō's smiling face; Hanatarō could not help but trust that she would come up with a solution.

- - -

Unohana's solution did not make itself known however, until three weeks later, after Hitsugaya's rather mismatched squad had already made its way into the real world and undergone their first rather enlightening, and painful encounter with the Arrancar.

Unohana Taichō called Hanatarō into the office late in the afternoon. She had a small frown on her face when he entered and was staring absentmindedly at the small potted herb she had resting on her desk.

"You asked to see me, Unohana Taichō?" Hanataro asked timidly as he came to stand before her desk.

She smiled but it was strained. He wondered what was worrying the usually unflappable captain so much.

"Yes I did, Yamada-san," Unohana said. "I have found a solution for your zanpakutō problem."

His eyes widened. He had not truly thought about the matter since that day weeks ago.

"Isane Fukutaichō has already been sent to the living world in order to assess and treat Hitsugaya Taichō's squad's injuries. She has been there for some time."

Hanatarō stared in dismay at his commanding officer. Isane had been in the living world where dangerous blood-thirsty creations of Aizen's were running around and was, in fact, _still_ in danger.

If Unohana noticed this change in demeanor, she tactfully chose not to comment on it. "She sent a message a few minutes ago saying that she would be finished with her work in about an hour."

Hanatarō couldn't see exactly what this had to do with his zanpakutō and voiced as much.

"Isane also mentioned that there are numerous smaller hollows lurking around due to the remnants of the heightened reiatsus from the battle. I believe that an hour should be ample time for you to resolve your problem with your zanpakutō and escort Isane Fukutaichō home, don't you think?" Unohana smiled benignly at Hanatarō, who had begun blushing violently at the second half of his orders.

"I-I suppose so, Unohana Taichō," he stammered.

Hanatarō contemplated the more terrifying prospect, facing a hollow on his own, or walking back through the _long_ tunnel between worlds with the girl who made his heart pound so rapidly he often wondered if he should diagnose himself with a rare disease.

"Good," Unohana said with an air of finality. "Here are your official orders," she said, handing him a crisp document sealed with the official insignia of the Fourth Division. "And Hanatarō," she added, her brown eyes twinkling. "Don't forget to bring your zanpakutō."

Unohana sighed as she watched the young healer trip on his way out of the office. She had not told him the full details of Isane's rather disturbing report of the injuries sustained by Hitsugaya's squad or of how tired she had sounded when she had called.

As the second strongest healer in the entire Gotei Thirteen, Isane should have been able to work all day without tiring. Yet, her power was limited in the living world, and they were dealing with new creatures and different weapons. Unohana knew that her Fukutaicho would have been extra careful during the healing process just to make sure that no unforeseen side-effects occurred because of this fact.

Still, Unohana could not help the fact that she was frightened about the number of shinigami they could lose if the situation reached full out war. She had a heavy feeling that the rest of the Gotei Thirteen, who so often ridiculed her Division, were just about to realize how important it was.

- - -

Kotetsu Isane made sure that she was at least four blocks away from Inoue Orihime's apartment, and far out of sight from any other members of the Gotei Thirteen, before she allowed her exhausted body to sag gratefully against the brick wall of a nearby building. With a shuddering sigh, she slid down the wall to its base, closing her eyes heavily.

She wasn't quite sure what was wrong with her. She assumed it was the fact that her powers were limited here in the living world and that she'd insisted on healing every single abrasion on the squad's skin, no matter how small. If they were in charge of protecting the souls of Karakura, then it was Isane's duty to protect _their_ souls.

She lifted a shaking hand and brushed one of the small silver braids behind her ear. Isane wanted nothing more than to sleep for a week but she knew she would have to get back to the gate before it opened once more. Unohana Taichō would worry about her if she did not return on time.

She pushed her right hand down onto the concrete, attempting to force her weight onto her feet, but gave up with a soft gasp of frustration as pain shot up her stiff arm, the same one which had been administering most of the healing kidō that day.

Closing her eyes once more, she took in deep breaths. She was gathering her energy for one last push back through the long, dark tunnel, and all the way back to the Fourth Division where her warm bed awaited her.

_Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…_

She was so concentrated on trying to force her fatigued body to move that she almost missed the sound of shuffling feet which came from somewhere to her left. Blinking open her eyes, she realized that the calming reiatsu of a fellow healer accompanied the hushed noise.

"Hanatarō-san?"

The shadow had emerged around the corner and promptly tripped over her legs in surprise at her greeting.

"Isane Fukutaichō?" Hantarō asked as he scurried into a sitting position, swiping his overgrown bangs out of his eyes. His cheeks reddened immediately upon discovering that it was indeed his pretty and caring officer.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, not unkindly but unsurely. She did not want Hantarō to inform Unohana of her present weakness. It would only worry the captain more, and with war looming on the horizon, it was best not to add weight to the burden already resting on her shoulders.

"I was sent to empty the gauge on my zanpakutō and erm…escort you home," Hanatarō supplied, the blush deepening once more.

Isane gazed in horror at him. Did Unohana already know? She had tried her best to sound cheerful and energized on the phone, but was she truly that transparent?

"I'm _fine_, Hanatarō-san," Isane assured him.

Hantarō blinked at her. "I never said you weren't."

Isane cringed, knowing that the young man sitting across from her was nearly as observant as she was. She had just practically announced that she was about to fall asleep right there.

Isane self-consciously lifted a hand to brush the troublesome braid behind her ear again when Hanatarō stopped the motion with his own gentle hands.

"Your hand is shaking, Isane Fukutaichō," he pointed out, his brow knit in concern. "How badly were they injured?"

Isane sighed in defeat. "It wasn't the worst I've ever seen, but it wasn't very pretty either."

Hanatarō nodded absentmindedly, his hands automatically massaging the trembling muscles of her hand and forearm with practiced fingers. He hit one particularly painful spot and Isane let out a small moan of mingled pleasure and pain. Hanatarō bit his lip at the undeniably attractive sound issuing from his reserved Fukutaichō.

She met his eyes, her gaze wide and apologetic. She opened her mouth to thank her friend but the soft sound was drowned out by the dreadful shriek of a hollow.

Both shinigami looked up with a startled surprise. Isane grabbed the cell phone she had been issued out of her pocket, her arm screaming in protest. It must be broken; there was no indication that a hollow was anywhere near them, but the dreadful grinning ivory mask in front of them begged to differ.

"Hanatarō, get back!" Isane cried, trying to force herself to her feet but her sword arm screamed in protest.

The hollow roared it shrill cry, causing both shinigami to wince. It stalked across the concrete, of the deserted city street, its tail whipping threateningly back and forth.

Hanatarō, who had seemed frozen until that moment, stood up quickly, moving to stand in front of a protesting Isane.

"What are you doing?" she cried in horror as visions of the healer's clawed body ran through her imagination. She hauled herself up, her spasming arm flying as fast as it could toward the snowflake handle of her blade.

The hollow had neared the wall. It swiped at Hanatarō with it's claws and he jumped back. He stumbled over Isane's feet, pressing them both against the sun-warmed brick with a yell of surprise. Isane gripped his arm, attempting to pull him behind her, but Hanatarō was too quick, he had already unsheathed his zanpakutō.

With strength she had not expected from him, Hanatarō yanked his arm free from Isane's grasp, elbowing her stomach in the process. She collapsed forward onto the ground panting, her eyes wide as Hanatarō flung his zanpakutō back.

"Fulfill Hisagomaru!" he shouted, throwing his zanpakutō, now a small scalpel, at the hollow where it embedded itself in the hollow's mask with a dull thud.

Hanatarō, anticipating the fiery explosion at the contact, dove to shield Isane from the debris. Shards of hollow mask whizzed past their ducked heads, seconds before they evaporated into thin air.

"Are you alright?" Hanatarō asked, loosening his hold on Isane and gazing at her with concern. She in turn was staring at him with awe-struck eyes.

"What did you do?" she breathed, her face inches away from his. Hanatarō ducked his head as the furious blush assaulted him again. His senses were reeling from the dance of her warm breath over his cheek.

"I'll explain on the way back," he said, gripping her arm tightly. "Do you think you can stand?"

Isane nodded, still slightly thunderstruck. Hanatarō swung her left arm over his shoulders, bringing his right hand to rest securely on her waist, allowing Isane to lean on him.

"Hanatarō," Isane said gently as they made to move. "Don't forget your zanpakutō."

Hanataro laughed earnestly, bending down to pick up the blade which had returned to its unreleased state and tucked it safely back into its sheath.

The pair was silent as they made their way back down the now crowded city blocks toward the shaded park where the world gate was to open for them.

Hanatarō relished the feel of Isane pressed against his side, her long thin fingers wrapped securely around his shoulder as they walked together.

"Hanatarō-san?" Isane said softly as they stood waiting for the world gate to shimmer into existence.

"Yes, Isane Fukutaichō?" he returned, gazing up into her face, his eyes wide and earnest.

"Thank you," she said sincerely, before leaning over to place a soft kiss on his cheek.

Hanatarō blushed redder than Isane thought possible, but found it incredibly endearing as her own faint blush at her rather forward action was still gracing her cheeks.

"Anytime," he stammered as they made their way into the dark tunnel towards their home.

- - -

That night, when Hanatarō rubbed salve on her stiff arm and tucked her into her blankets, Isane could not hold back a smile. No matter what injuries Aizen threw at their division she knew she did not have worry about herself.

She was free to take care of others, as Hanatarō would always be there to take care of her.

* * *

A/N: Don't forget to review, or Hanataro will take you out just like he did that hollow! Also, don't forget to read up on and enter:

**The Shunsui and Nanao Challenge**

**Presented by BlackVelvetBand**

Hello Bleach fans! As I was browsing through the wonderful archives here, I couldn't help but notice a distinct lack of Shunsui/Nanao fanfiction. It is this observation which led me to instigate the Shunsui/Nanao Fanficcing Challenge. I first posted the challenge in my one-shot entitled _Meet Me Halfway_ and received a good response, but I wanted to fill the archives with as much Shunsui and Nanao as possible.

**To Enter**:

Write a short story, no more than five chapters. One-shots are perfectly acceptable.

Stories can either be completely original or if you choose to, may follow one of the five prompts offered below. Again, prompts are there to use if you want to use them, using a prompt is not required.

There is no rating limit and no specific word limit.

If you decide to enter the challenge, contact me by sending a PM stating your intention to enter the challenge. I will be keeping a list of competitors so that no one gets lost in the shuffle. This step must be completed by Saturday, September 2.

When you are ready to submit, post your story as you would normally do on Then, contact me, either using the information provided in my profile or through PM that your story is ready for submission along with its title. I have created a C2 archive where all challenge entries can be found in one easy place both by those looking to read, and those of us who are judging.

Entries must be completed and submitted by Sunday, September 9.

After all entries are "collected" I and a small panel of volunteer judges (who have already contacted me) will read the submissions. Awards (listed below) will be distributed to the best written stories.

Authors may submit more than one entry, but no author will win more than one award. Writing more than one story however, increases your chances of such an occurrence, and fills the world with more Shunsui/Nanao.

**Awards:**

The Pink Haori: Best Overall Story  
_Katen Kyōkotsu:_ Best Action Sequence  
The Rose Petal: Best Dramatic Piece  
The Flashing Glasses Award: Best Unseen Plot-twist  
The Sake Bottle: Most Creative Plotline

**Possible Prompts:**

1. blue haori, crushed glasses, and the quote "slippery sea monster"

2. odd behavior, cookies, and the quote "Great balls of Kidō!"

3. red lipstick, ponytail, and the quote "Play it again, Nanao."

4. bandages, singed eyebrows and the quote "I enjoy wriggling my toes"

5. tongue twisters, blonde hair, and the quote "my cup runneth over."

Much thanks to those of you who already entered, keep working on those stories.

Even if you usually don't ship Shunsui/Nanao or have never tried writing them before, give it a shot. Talent can never be proven unless it is challenged.

HAVE FUN!


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